Only You Are The Life Among The Dead
by Love-Scarves-and-Coffee
Summary: Dad had been saying that each stop would be our last for a while now. I'd kind of given up on the idea of ever having a normal life. So, here we are; another town, another hunt... Another worthless week trying to fit in. At least I didn't have to worry about getting attached. We'd be out of here again before you know it.
1. Chapter 1

**So here it is! The first chapter! I hope you enjoy, and a review would be great!**

**A few warnings; blood, violence, kidnap and mentions of death. We'll add more as we go along.**

* * *

_And I'm begging you,  
__Bring me back to life,  
__I just can't stand leaving you alone at night  
__It's too late to go,  
__Already taken me forever just to try to know.  
__One for the money, tw__o for the show,  
__Three to get ready, and__ four to go.  
__For the life of me,  
__I don't know why it took me so long to see._

_**Stutter - Marinas Trench**_

* * *

Kurt sat with his head against the cold window of the truck, watching the rain fall down on the other side.

"Hey, kiddo." Kurt looked over to the driver, his father Burt, and raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"I- er... Look I'm sorry to have pulled you out of another school, just when you'd started to make friends."

Kurt shook his head, propping his feet up on the dashboard. "No, it's okay Dad. I know this is important to you..."

Burt twisted his baseball cap round on his head, reaching over to put a hand on Kurt's shoulder.

"I'm sure we'll get the bastard this time, and hey, maybe after we do, we can go back eh?"

"Yeah, that'd be great..."

_Truth is, Dad had been saying that each stop would be our last for a while now. I'd kind of given up on the idea of ever having a normal life. Even if we did find mom's killer, we'd be far from done. Oh but don't misunderstand me, we're not psycho serial killers or anything. The police might have thought her death was natural, but we knew differently. The thing that had killed her had been entirely supernatural._

_We'd been hunting demons and all kinds of creatures every night since I was tiny. My mom's death had affected Dad so badly, he swore he'd never let anyone else go through what we did, so long as he could help it. So, here we are; another town, another hunt... Another worthless week trying to fit in. At least I didn't have to worry about getting attached; we'd be out of here again before you know it._

Kurt sighed, turning up the radio and resting back against the window as they passed a road sign that read, 'Lima, Ohio'. He tugged his jacket around him, closing his eyes, thinking that he may as well get some sleep while he could.

* * *

Not too far away, in the woods, was a boy. Well, he was a boy, once... Now he was something other. Neither entirely alive nor entirely dead.

His body was a puppet worn by the dark entity inside. A dark entity that sat in a tree and debated his part in the fate of the teenagers laughing beneath him.

_Come on, Blaine. Just kill them. It won't take much, they're just pathetic humans anyway, they're not of use to anyone._

_But their families... They mean something to other people, and besides, what have they done to deserve death?_

_But then why don't they deserve it? Kill them._

_Don't._

_Kill them._

_You can't._

War waged in his mind between instinct and morals. Fancy that, a demon with morals. Something had to be said for the broken body he inhabited; they definitely had a strong mind. Or, had, once.

The campfire grew dim as he sat there, the wind throwing ashes across the campsite. Blaine stood and stretched. He'd deliberated too long. If he stayed any longer, he'd be late.

_And then He would be mad._

_All according to plan. _

_Wait no. _

Ah, who was he kidding? He hated killing innocent people. They were kids! He couldn't just tear them apart.

Any other demon would.

_He_ would.

The boy turned, jumping down from the tree and walking briskly away from the campsite. He did have a meeting to attend after all. He didn't have to walk for very long before he came upon the ruins of what once would have been a grand structure, but had been left for nature to reclaim after a fire. The fire which had killed the boy who's body he now possessed, funnily enough.

Blaine walked through the twisted gates and past the large sign that read 'Dalton Academy', heading towards the large hall, the least affected part of the building. The grounds swarmed with demons, most of which had beetle black eyes not unlike Blaine's, but there were a few red-eyed demons around too.

The demon he had to go and see now wasn't like the others, wasn't the usual blood-thirsty tyrant you'd find in any old town. No, this demon was a force to be reckoned with, a death trap for any hunter foolish enough to seek Him out. His eyes glowed as yellow as the sulphur He left behind as He sowed death, destruction and sorrow into the hearts of mortal men. His host changed often, worn out by His sinful acts, though His cruelty always remained. He was the closest thing Blaine had to family, having helped him find his feet, as it were, when he first escaped from Hell.

The things He had made Blaine do still make him feel sick to his stomach. He'd stopped obeying most of the other demon's commands a while ago, but it hadn't troubled the creature. He'd simply found someone else. Sentimentality aside, he was still just a lesser demon, just another pawn.

* * *

Blaine pushed the large door open, taking a seat at the heavily occupied table that ran across the length of the hall. The demons here had come from all over the state for this meeting, many of them from places that the group Blaine lived with had resided before settling here in Ohio.

The other demons in the room didn't give the boy a second glance. They didn't interact with him often, finding his way of living too strange. They didn't understand why Blaine would have any emotion other than hate towards humans, and didn't like that he refused to kill them. It wasn't often that any of them spoke to him, never mind any other interaction, and he spent most of his time around town or alone in the forest besides. Blaine's connection with Him was the only reason they hadn't tried to send him Back, he knew.

A loud noise made all the demons turn to the head of the table, where He was stood. The room went silent almost instantly and he grinned maliciously.

"Welcome. How have we all been?" There were quiet beginnings of murmured answers around the room but the demon cut in. "Never mind, I don't care. I've gathered you all tonight to talk about a threat which has recently arisen. You may have noticed our numbers rapidly decreasing over the past few months, and herein lies the cause. There is a hunter, tracking us all. At first, he posed no real treat, just another hunter to pick off. But he is much more than that. He is a danger to demons everywhere and he will not stop until we are all back in that dark pit Below." A hiss went up around the room.

"We must all work to eradicate the man known as 'Hummel', before he eradicates us. I have it plain that he plans to move here, to Lima, within a moon's turn. Keep your eyes out for him brothers, and if you find the man, do not hesitate to kill him. That will be all."

And with that, the demon swept from the room.

The others around Blaine sat in a respectable silence for a few seconds before the conversations started up again, and the room went back to the level of noise it had been at when Blaine first walked in.

Blaine stood from the table and slipped out of the hall, walking back across the grounds and out of the gates, jumping to pull himself up onto a low branch.

_I may not be able to kill innocent teenagers, but Hunters... Hunters I can kill no prob__lem._

* * *

**Thank you for reading! Let us know what you think?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

_Make all of my decisions for me_

_I've never taken the fall for deceit _

_We'll keep a secret if you keep me guessing_

_The taste of your lips says we shouldn't have met like this_

**_Coffee Shop Soundtrack - All Time Low_**

* * *

No matter how many times he'd been woken in the small hours of the day, no matter how he'd had to get used to it, there was no way Kurt could deal with the early hour. At least, not without coffee.  
"I'm going to take my laptop down to the coffee shop, do some research on the local news, scope out the area..."  
"Inhale excessive amounts of coffee."  
"That too."  
Burt chucked at his son, grabbing a gun and holstering it.  
"You go do that, I'll have a chat to the local police department, ask about any suspicious deaths or disappearances recently. Keep your phone on you, if I call, I expect an answer."  
Burt had always been protective of his son, and that had only grown after they began hunting. While the job required the boy to have at least some independence, Burt always made sure to keep in contact with him.  
Kurt nodded, grabbing his laptop, a silver knife, and a bottle of holy water - the minimum precautions on a job like this - and headed out of the door.

It didn't take long to find the local coffee shop, strangely named The Lima Bean, a bell sounded on the door as he walked in, looking around the small shop.

_Cute.  
Not exactly the best coffee shop I've ever seen, but it'll do-  
Oh my god was that a mouse?  
Never mind, just order the freaking coffee._

Kurt walked up to the counter and smiled at the girl behind it. She looked about his age, pretty, dark skin and black hair. She smiled slightly, but there was frustration in her eyes  
"What can I get you?"  
Her voice sounded tired, sad.  
"Um, a grande non-fat mocha please. Hey, you okay?"  
There was definitely something going on in this town, and this girl seemed to have experienced something... Whether it was to do with the demon or not, it was worth talking to her. She looked up at him, met his eyes.  
"I'm fine, thanks. Just tired. Student life gets you hard."  
Lies. Kurt had been studying people's behaviour long enough to recognise the body language of someone lying. The slight scratch of her nose as she spoke, keeping her eyes closed just a fraction too long when she blinked, fidgeting with her fingers. He didn't push too hard, not just yet. Kurt nodded, smiling when she passed over his coffee  
"Thank you."  
He walked over to a small booth in the corner of the small shop, sitting down and opening his laptop.  
_Lima_.  
The name didn't seem familiar so nothing big must have happened here. Still, best to check it out.  
After looking through page upon page of useless information on show choir winners and juvenile delinquents, Kurt decided it would be easier just to ask about the newspapers.  
He walked up to the counter to talk to the barista who had given him his coffee earlier;  
"Hey, is there any digital way to find the old local newspapers from this place? I'm doing a newspaper article on Lima's history and present but I can't seem to find the information I need."  
The girl smiled at him, stepping forward to lean on the counter,  
"There's a website you can use, it's got papers from the late 1900s to now?"  
"Yeah, that would be great, thanks."  
"Here, I'll write it down for you." She pulled a pen from beside the coffee cups and grabbed his hand. Kurt started a little, but let her scrawl the address across the back of his hand.  
"There you go." The barista smiled up at him again, giving his hand a little pat.  
Kurt smiled backs turning to his table. "Thanks again." He called back.

Kurt opened a new window in his browser and typed in the website address. He spent the next few hours looking through the papers carefully, making notes whenever something interesting came up, and ordering coffee every so often from the nice barista. The amount of signs of demon activity in the town and local area just kept growing.  
'**_Local Lima town attacked, over half the cattle dead.'  
'Abnormal weather patterns worrying local scientists'  
'Hottest and coldest recorded temperatures in the same week!'  
'Record number of power outages, council looking to dig up electrical lines._****'**  
And most importantly;  
'_**Local boy goes missing.'**_  
_'Sam Evans was walking home from his part time job as a delivery boy when he went missing.  
There were no witnesses and police have asked for anyone who may have any information to come forward.'_  
Bingo.

"Hey there,"  
Kurt looked up to see Mercedes standing beside his table.  
"Would you like a refill?" She asked, indicating his empty cup.  
"That'd be great, thanks." Kurt smiled at her gratefully. He was still exhausted from the early hour, even with the copious amounts of coffee.  
"Are you getting anywhere?" Mercedes asked, leaning in to peer at his computer screen. Her face fell as she took in the article. "Oh, you saw that, did you?"  
Kurt looked up at her tone. "Are you okay?" He asked, concerned.  
Mercedes nodded. "Yeah, I.. I knew the guy who went missing..." She smiled sadly. "We're pretty close, but not... That close, you know? I mean, he's going to wait until I feel ready for a relationship. Well, he was."  
"I'm so sorry." Kurt put his hand on her arm. "Do you know anything about what happened?"  
Mercedes shook her head. "I wasn't around when it happened. He was going home after his shift, during one of the storms... He always took shortcuts, he was so excited to get home to his brother and sister." She smiled a sad, fond smile.  
"The police managed to trace him a little way, but then he just vanished. Even the dogs lost the scent. They said that was such an overpowering smell there, like acid or something. In the end, they said he was probably chemically imbalanced and ran off, that he'd show up sooner or later. But I know Sam.. He wouldn't do something like that."  
"I'm sure they'll find him." Kurt assured her soothingly.  
Mercedes smiled gratefully. She cleared her throat, and picked up his cup.  
"I'll go get you your coffee."

Kurt watched her return to the counter, before turned back to his laptop. It all made sense; the storm, the disappearance, the acidic smell, most likely sulphur.. All signs of demon activity. He needed to get back to Burt with this information.  
Kurt closed his laptop and headed to the counter.  
"Hey, Mercedes? Can I have that coffee to go?" He called over.  
She turned and smiled at him.  
"Sure thing." She nodded back.  
Kurt waited, chewing his lip thoughtfully. Something was bugging him about these events. There was way too much activity for just one demon. There had to be more with the one they were hunting. And a host of demons was never a good omen.

"Here you go." Mercedes placed his coffee on the counter.  
She looked bemusedly at him as he pulled out the money he owed her.  
"You're a strange guy, you know that?" She asked as he handed it over.  
Kurt scrambled over words in his mind for a response.  
"Yeah, I suppose." He tried for a nonchalant shrug. It mustn't have come off the way he hoped, from the way Mercedes grinned happily at him.  
"I've got to go." Kurt stepped away from the counter. "Thank you for your help. And the coffee." He lifted his styrofoam cup gratefully.  
"Any time." Mercedes called after him.

Kurt smiled, turning to exit. His shoulder bumped something hard, knocking him back slightly.  
"God, I'm so sorry!" Kurt gasped, glancing up to check he hadn't spilt coffee on the stranger. He only caught sight of shiny, dark hair before he hurriedly pushed open the door and started off down the street.

Mercedes watched him go, Kurt completely oblivious to her soft smile at his lapse in concentration and hasty apology. She followed him with her eyes as long as she could, before her next customer stepped up to place an order, and secretly hoped she'd see him again.

* * *

Blaine wasn't particularly happy to begin with. The news of another hunter out for his neck, along with the rest of his coven, was bound to put a damper on a person's mood. So, Blaine (being the responsible demon that he is) decided to go and get some coffee. He walked into The Lima Bean just as another boy turned away from the counter... And walked straight into him.

_Stupid, insolent humans, what the hell is wrong with this race?!  
No, calm down. He just wasn't looking that's all, he's probably busy.  
Too busy to pay attention to where he's walking? God, they make me sick, so caught up in their own petty existence, which doesn't even last very long anyway! You'd think they'd take more care to savour the short time they had.  
And now, there's a hunter out for me, I've got better things to do than go after a silly teenage boy, who poses no threat to me anyway except a few drops of coffee on my shirt.  
... I liked this shirt..._

Blaine sighed and walked towards the counter, feeling a small stab of guilt when he saw the sorrow in the barista's eyes. He knew where her 'Sam' was, of course he did. But there was nothing he could do to help the boy now. He settled for giving the girl a smile.  
"Hey there, could I get a medium drip please?"  
"Sure thing."  
The girl made his coffee quickly. One thing he liked about this place, efficient staff. Blaine smiled, thanking the girl and taking the cup, walking over to the corner booth and sitting down.

* * *

Kurt hurried back to the motel room, it was only when he got through the door that he remembered his dad wouldn't be here anyway. Kurt sighed, slipping his laptop under his bed and getting out his phone as he left and locked the room again.  
The phone rang.  
Once...  
Twice...

"Kurt?"  
"Yeah, it's me Dad. So I've been looking through the newspapers for the past few months and we have a problem."  
"What kind of problem?"  
"Um... There's far too much activity in this area for one demon. We're dealing with a coven of at least ten, probably more."

There was silence on the line for a few seconds, then...  
"Shit. Okay, kiddo listen to me. Go back to the motel, lock the door, line everything with salt. Don't leave."  
"What? No, Dad! You need me! Especially now! Let's face it old man, you're not as swift as you used to be, and if we're dealing with a lot of demons, you're going to need my help."

Kurt walked out onto the street, away from the motel and towards the police station.  
"Where are you, by the way? What did _you_ find out?"  
Burt laughed quietly at his son. "God, Kurt. You're as stubborn as your mother... Okay, fine. I'm stood in an alleyway on the right of the police station. I found some information on this boy called Sam-"

"Evans." Kurt interrupted. "Yeah, I met his friend. She said that he took shortcuts home, through alleys and on back roads. The demons probably have him, if he hasn't been possessed. Okay, I'm nearly with you, I'm hanging up."  
Kurt took the phone away from his ear and put it back in his pocket, ducking into the narrow alleyway. He walked about ten metres down before he caught sight of Burt, who started speaking when Kurt got closer.

"So we need to check out alleyways then. If we find anything, any sulphur, we'll talk to his parents. Ask if he went home, if he was acting strange. I have his address from the police report, the motel we're at apparently. He worked at the local pizza delivery so I suggest we start there."  
Kurt nodded in agreement.  
"Okay then, let's get this job on the road."


	3. Chapter 3

_If I retreat,  
__Words, wars, and symphonies,  
__Make room! We're taking over here.  
__And you're the galantine,  
__Cold and alone, it suits you well,  
__Won't find me perching here again._

**_Let's Kill Tonight - Panic! At The Disco_**

* * *

Blaine slumped down in his hard-backed chair, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible; not a difficult feat when you've been trying to fit in for, like, a hundred years. The babble of the coffee shop was almost deafening to his heightened senses, despite the lack of people actually in it. He flinched as a particularly loud girl walked past him, motioning widely to her extremely large companion. They took the table behind Blaine.

Now, he didn't mean to eavesdrop of course, but the girl really was... Very loud, and if he strained to hear some of the boy's responses, well that was simply work ethic.

"But that's just it Finn, you see, I'm perfectly happy to show the new kid around, but it's completely impractical. I have glee practice, and, unless he's got talent, he can't possibly join. I mean, we always need more back-up singers for me and our duets, but how on earth am I supposed to complete my morning warm-up routine when I have to escort him to school, from a motel. A _motel_ Finn-"  
"Sam lived in a motel..."  
"He's probably some barbaric jock out for our throats."  
"I'm a jock."  
The girl paused for a few seconds; "Yeah but you're more than that, you're my duet partner..."  
"I- I thought I was your boyfriend."  
"... It's a euphemism, Finn... Of course you're my boyfriend."  
"O- Oh... Okay. Sorry."

Blaine rolled his eyes. He had to smile really, or he'd go mad. Rachel Berry was a notorious diva, and in such a small town, a giant personality often bloomed far above the rest. Unfortunately, this personality was a rather difficult one to like. He felt bad for Finn, the boy with her, though.

_I mean being her boyfriend? That's got a be a trial, a punishment for something, right?_

Although, sometimes her loud mouth was useful. Today, for example. New kid and a new hunter? On the same day? Maybe he could stand to hear a little more of her banshee-like squawking. Thankfully, Finn took control of the conversation for a while.

"Have you actually met this kid yet? I mean, he could be, like, cool or something."  
The Berry girl rolled her eyes slightly. "Oh Finn, you're so considerate. But let's face it, he's probably an uncultured swine. He probably doesn't even know what Les Misérable is."  
"... Isn't that a disease?"  
The girl sighed, exasperated. "No Finn... Come on, we better get to work on the project Mr Schue set us. Now, of course it'll be a love song, and it must fit my range, so I was thinking..."

The conversation blended in with the others around him as the pair walked away. Blaine sat for a few minutes, debating the pros and cons of potentially stalking an innocent child. But then... if he wasn't so innocent, it could be very beneficial to his cause. So that was it then. He drained the last dregs of coffee from the bottom of his cup and left the small shop, walking quickly down the road.

* * *

By the time Burt and Kurt had checked out all the possible ways for Sam to have got home, it was far too late to talk to Sam's mom; so, they headed back to their room for the night, picking up some pizza from the place Sam had worked at and chatting to the employees.

"So you knew this Sam kid?" Burt leant against the counter, talking to the boy with the mohawk on the other side.  
"Yeah, I know him. We go to school together, and he worked here. He's a good guy. No idea where he's gone though..."  
Burt nodded, taking the paper bag off the counter. "Thanks kid, see you around."

He headed out of the shop and over to Kurt, who had been waiting outside. They started the short trek back to the motel in silence, listening to the sounds of the town at night.  
They got back to their room quickly and Burt set the food out on the table.

Kurt looked at it with disdain.  
"You know, I can only cope with so much of this stuff, my skin's going to suffer."  
Burt scoffed. "Please. You and I both know that you love pizza, despite your skin."

After they'd eaten, they decided to call it a night and get up early the next day to talk to Sam's mom.  
Kurt changed and did a quick version of his moisturising routine before practically collapsing into bed, falling asleep quickly.

He woke up the next morning to the smell of coffee in the room, and Burt packing up a bag. He sat up and picked the cup up off his nightstand. "Hey, you got coffee?" He asked blearily.  
Burt looked up from his knife and chuckled.  
"Yeah, I went to that local place, the Lima Bean? I picked some up for you, we haven't got any time for you to go gallivanting around this morning. We need to talk to Mrs Evans, and you need to go to school."  
Kurt groaned, taking a sip of the liquid. "Do I really have to?"  
"We've already had this conversation. You're going to school bud."  
Kurt rolled his eyes, standing up from the bed. "Fine. Let me get dressed, then we can go."

They left the motel and walked the few doors down to the room number '21', the room where the Evans family lived.  
Burt knocked on the door, and after a few moments, a small, blonde haired girl opened it.  
"Hello mister." She said quietly, one arm in and one arm out of a cardigan. "I'll get my mummy."  
She disappeared from the doorway and returned with a brown haired, tall woman who smiled courteously.  
"Can I help you?" She asked. The bags under her eyes were visible, even through the small amount of make-up she had on. She'd clearly been crying, and no surprise considering her son was missing.

Burt reached into his pocket and pulled out an ID card.  
"Good morning ma'am. I'm Officer Adams. I'm here to ask you about your son's disappearance."  
The woman visibly flinched and motioned for her daughter to return inside.  
"Go and get ready for school, Stacey." The young girl turned and walked back into the room and Sam's mom stepped further outside the door.

"Look, I've already talked to the police and told them everything I know."  
"Yes Madam I know, but I'm a specialist in these cases. I've been brought in just to look at your son's disappearance."  
She looked between them, her eyes narrowed. "Then what's the kid doing here?" She asked, motioning to Kurt.

"He's here for work experience, an officer in training. He can leave if you'd more comfortable."  
Kurt glanced over at him, pouting slightly. He didn't want to leave.  
"No, no... It's fine... Come on in."  
She stepped aside and pushed open the door so that Burt and Kurt could get past, then followed them in and closed it.

"I'm sorry about the mess, but Sam used to clean up when he got in from school, and I just don't have the time."  
"No, of course, it's okay."  
Burt sat down at the cluttered table with Sam's mom and began asking her questions.

Kurt looked around the small room, then sat down on the carpet between the blonde girl and an identical boy near her.  
"Hi there." He smiled "I'm Kurt."  
The young girl looked at him warily, her knees pulled up close to her chest.  
"I'm Stevie." The boy said, holding his hand out. "Do you know my big brother? Do you know where he is?"  
Kurt shook the boy's hand, offering a small smile. "I'm sorry Stevie, I don't know where he is. But I'm sure going to try and find him. My friend over there," He gestured to Burt. "He's very smart, and if anyone can find him, he can."

"This is Stacey, she doesn't talk to strangers."  
Kurt looked over at the small girl.  
"That's very wise of you Stacey, but I promise you can talk to me."  
Stacey slowly uncurled her legs and shifted closer to him.

"Are you really going to help find our brother?" She said in a small voice.  
Kurt nodded, reaching out to take her hand.  
"I cross my heart." He said, making a small cross on his chest. "Now, I think your mom said something about getting ready for school?"  
The two children stood up, Stevie pulling a jumper over his head. Stacey stood, looking down at her fingers.  
"What's wrong sweetie?" Kurt asked.  
"My hair..." She mumbled. "I can't do my hair."  
Kurt stood up and picked up two hair bobbles and two ribbons from the counter at the side. "Luckily for you, I'm an expert."  
He smiled and knelt behind her, brushing her hair slowly.  
"Sammy used to do this for me..." She whispered.  
Kurt paused a moment in his actions, before he continued slowly.

"It's okay. We'll find him, and then he can do it again, much better than me, I'm sure."  
He turned Stacey to the small mirror in the corner, showing her the two pigtails he'd tied on either side of her head.  
"I love them." She grinned, turning and giving him a hug. "Thank you Kurt."  
"You're very welcome." Kurt swallowed around the lump in his throat, patting her shoulder gently.

"Go on, I think your brother's waiting for you."  
Stacey stepped back, giving him a final smile before she followed her brother out of the door, holding onto her father's hand to walk to school.

While this had been happening, Burt had finished talking to Mrs Evans and motioned for Kurt to leave with him.

"So? Demon attack?"  
Burt nodded. "Most likely, she said she'd seen a new face around. She thought they were Sam's friend but when she asked him, he said he'd never seen them before."  
He tucked his badge and notepad away in a pocket.  
"Now, you. School."

Kurt turned to him quickly.  
"You were serious?!"  
"Of course I was." Burt scoffed. "You think I'm going to jeopardise your education because of some demon? No, you're going to school bud."  
Kurt sighed heavily.  
"I don't want to."

"Well you have no choice. I even took the liberty of getting someone to escort you to school. See, there she is."

Kurt turned slightly to see a girl walking towards them, the biggest fake grin he'd ever seen stretched across her face. Kurt groaned, turning back.  
"I hate you."  
"Love you too bud, see you later."  
"Love you... Bye..."

Burt turned and walked away just as a loud voice squawked in Kurt's ear.  
"Hi there! My name is Rachel Berry and I'll be escorting you to McKinley. I hope you'll like it, and may I let you know that we have many extra curricular activities, for example the New Directions who-"  
"Listen beaky, I know you're just trying to help and everything but I really can't be bothered with the 'Welcome to the new school' speech. I don't want to be here any more than you, so let's just walk to the school then you can get to pretending you have no idea who I am. I'll return the favour I assure you." Kurt snapped, crossing his arms.  
Rachel gaped at him in silence for a few seconds before she began to walk away. Kurt followed her with a stormy look on his face. It wasn't particularly anything the girl had done, it was simply he was in a bad mood, and he didn't have time to be making friends. There _was_ a demon to catch.

It was lunchtime before Kurt had to encounter any more 'friendly' people; he'd done a pretty good job of keeping himself to himself for most of the morning, to his relief. Kurt had walked into the lunch hall to grab a bottle of water when a voice called to him over the noise of the other students.

"Kurt! Hey, Kurt!"  
He turned, scanning the room until he found the girl from the coffee shop smiling and waving him over. He smiled slightly; maybe he could afford to talk to her. She knew Sam, after all.

He walked over to the table, which was occupied by Rachel from that morning, a tall boy sat next to her, a boy with a mohawk, and a boy in a wheelchair.  
"Hi Mercedes. How are you?" He grinned, a real, honest grin.  
Mercedes giggled slightly.  
"I'm great thanks, and you?"  
"I'm good."

Mercedes smiled, then she gestured to the rest of the people on the table. "Guys this is Kurt, Kurt this is Rachel, Finn, Puck and Artie."  
"Oh, yeah, Rachel and I are already... Acquainted. Hi."  
The people on the table smiled and waved in return, except Rachel, who scowled and looked away.

Kurt looked around them awkwardly, his eyes focusing finally back on Mercedes, who was staring at him. Kurt cleared his throat.  
"Well... Okay, I'm just going to... Go, but, um. It was great to see you again." He smiled and turned, walking quickly out of the hall.

_No friends. It'll just hurt when you leave. Stop it._

* * *

Blaine was angry. No, more than that, he was furious. He'd spent the entire day as a wisp of smoke, traversing the vents of the school looking for this new kid and... Nothing.  
Zip. Zilch. Nada.  
Nothing at all. Not even a whisper in the hallway or in the teacher's lounge. This could be Blaine's only lead on the hunter, and no-one was talking about him.

He drifted out into the parking lot, and under the nearest car. He stopped when he heard the words of a girl crossing the street.  
"I mean, let's be honest here, he's completely anti-social. And besides, we don't need a new kid in glee club. He'll mess up the blocking of the numbers!"  
The girl turned away from the mohawked boy she was talking to and the boy rolled his eyes, turning and picking up his motorbike helmet.  
"Whatever, Berry. See you."  
Blaine hovered around the boy's bike, hoping someone would say something else about the new kid. But he wasn't expecting the good fortune of the boy himself coming along.

* * *

Kurt was walking out of the school when he noticed a worrisome cloud of black smoke around Puck's motorbike.  
He walked over cautiously.  
"Hey, um, it's Puck right?"  
Puck looked over at the boy.  
"Yeah... And you're Kurt."  
Kurt nodded. "Er... Your bike... It's kind of... Smoking a bit. You might want to get that looked at."  
Puck turned quickly, gaping at his bike. "What?! Smoke? It's not even running! This is a Boss Hoss 5.7 Small Block Chevy! It runs like a dream!"

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "You know, my dad taught me some stuff... I could take a look at it if you'd like?"  
Puck scanned him quickly, taking another step towards his bike as though he was trying to shield it with his leather-clad body.  
"Touch _my_ baby? No way. I don't think so somehow."  
Kurt shrugged. "Fine. Your loss." He turned around to walk away. "See you around."

* * *

Blaine quickly moved after the boy, staying high up, out of sight, but following him closely. He took the opportunity to properly look at the other boy; he was pale, with perfectly coiffed, caramel coloured hair, and bright eyes that weren't quite any particular colour, but all of them at the same time. In human standards, Blaine guessed he was actually quite attractive.

_Of course he's attractive, just look at him!  
Oh please, he's a human, of course he isn't._

Blaine shook himself into focus. He didn't exactly have time for an internal debate right now.  
He slipped along the ground, catching up to the boy where he'd lagged behind.  
Their journey took them down small alleyways and along roads until they finally reached a motel.  
The boy made his way up to one of the rooms, opening the door and stepping inside unhindered.  
The demon took his human shape again, moving slowly against the wall of the motel, where he heard muffled voices drifting through the peeling seals of the window.

_"... Pizza again Dad? Really?"_

_"Hey, you know you love it. I am a brilliant cook."_

_"Oh yes, you're so good at heating things up in a microwave. Burt Hummel, chef extraordinaire!"_

Blaine pulled back as Kurt leant against the windowsill he'd been peering in. He backed up a few steps to the curb and sat down.  
Burt Hummel.  
This was the hunter, the one He was looking for.  
Blaine sat for a moment, contemplating. What did he do now?

Hinges creaked behind him and his head shot up. He shifted to smoke and shot backwards into the sparse bushes that lined the wall of the hotel. Burt threw an 'I love you' over his shoulder, closing the motel door behind him.

His boots scraped on the pavement as he headed to his truck. The engine rumbled and the lights flashed before the truck edged out of the car park and out onto the quiet street.

Blaine crouched in the bushes, eyes trained cautiously on the truck until it was out of sight. He rose slowly, glancing between the motel and the road. The cogs in his brain were working, and only one conclusion was being churned out.

_A hostage... That would be the perfect leverage. What better way to bring down someone's walls than a blow close to home?  
But, I won't harm him.  
Not that it'll come to that, I mean one scrawny teenager? He won't put up much of a fight, surely.  
Now... How do we do this?  
Quickly, I should think. I've got the element of surprise._

Blaine stood before the door of the motel room. He took a breath and slicked back his already-slick hair. He summoned a small, strong wind and forced it against the door, which flung open, slamming against the wall of the motel room. Blaine charged after it swiftly, eyes black as pitch.

The boy sprung up from where he was sat at the small table in the kitchen area. Blaine snarled and rushed at him... Only to be pushed back roughly by an unseen force.  
He shook his head to clear it, confused. He leered at Kurt, who now stood confidently before him, arms crossed and an unimpressed expression on his face.

Blaine hesitated, reaching out a hand. It stopped unbidden, pressed flat against an invisible wall. He looked above him at the ceiling, and then down at the floor beneath him. A corner of the carpet was loose beside the door, and under it was the recognisable shape of a symbol painted in red.  
Blaine's head shot up to stare bewildered at Kurt, who smirked at him with a 'hpmh'.

"Well," Kurt began. "I'll thank you for popping in."

His face darkened as he reached to the table behind him.

"As soon as you tell me what you're doing here."


	4. Chapter 4

_Well I know something you don't,  
__It comes and goes,  
__Like the strength in your bones, woah  
__So keep your mind at a rest,  
__I'll never let the two of us be friends,  
__Does it hurt?_

**_Underdog - You Me At Six_**

* * *

The look in the boy's eyes was dark and focused, the movement of his hand towards the table, calculated. Blaine watched him closely, not daring to look away in fear he'd miss the next action. And in such a tight spot, that could be the difference between keeping what little life he had left, and the (un)welcoming arms of the deep, dark depths of the pit.

Kurt's hand closed around something hidden by the remains of his takeaway. Blaine edged backwards as far as the trap would let him. He fixed his expression to one of a concentrated neutral, a front to knock the boy's, apparently abundant, confidence.

Blaine scoffed at the boy and folded his arms, "Please, as if you, a child... Could intimidate _me_."  
Kurt picked the item up from the table and moved slowly towards the demon.  
"I don't plan to intimidate you. All I want from you is information, and you will give me it."  
"What if I refuse?"

Kurt smirked, raising his weapon to point at Blaine. The demon almost went cross-eyed trying to watch the point of a... Bright yellow toy gun?  
He almost laughed.  
"What the hell are you gonna do with that? Hit me?"  
"Don't you talk back to me young- old... Just how old are you?" Kurt furrowed his eyebrows and brought the hand with the gun in to his hip.  
"Old enough to know that's not going to do anything." Blaine shot back. "Seriously, what kind of hunter are you?"  
"A damn good one, you cocky son of a bitch."  
And with that, Kurt brought the gun forward again, pressing the trigger to release a short spray of water.

Blaine's smirk wiped clean off his face as he jerked back in unexpected, blinding pain. He couldn't tell if the hissing noise was coming from his mouth or his skin. The water felt like liquid fire, sizzling where it made contact with him. This feeling was new to Blaine. He didn't like it.  
He glared up at Kurt, eyes burning like coals.  
Kurt smirked at the demon, raising his eyebrows and holding the gun up.  
"Holy water." He gestured to the water pistol with his other hand. "Hurts right?"  
He pointed the nozzle at Blaine again.  
"Now, I have a few questions for you. Are we going to have a problem?"

Blaine grimaced. He didn't have much choice in the matter. Didn't mean he was going to make it easy for the boy.  
"I suppose you're not just a kid playing with Daddy's toys."  
There was a lull in the almost-conversation. Kurt watched Blaine, a little smugly, the demon thought. Blaine stalled, running through his defences and escape plans.  
_Alright_, he conceded. _Kid's got me caught._

"What do you want to know?" He offered reluctantly.  
Kurt crossed his arms and leant back against the table behind him.  
"How many of you are there?" He eyed Blaine carefully. The boy can't have been much older than him, yet he was a monster. Kurt couldn't help the small part of him that felt empathy for the boy, but he pushed it aside, reminding himself that the boy - _demon_ - had probably killed people. There was a job to be done.

"Well, that depends." Blaine replied, a little cryptically. Kurt stood again, his arms dropping to his sides, his expression guarded.  
"And what's that supposed to mean?"  
Blaine resisted the urge to roll his eyes.  
_Humans. So slow..._

"It _means_, that the answer to that question isn't consistent." Blaine eyed the water gun, curious as to how far he could push his luck. "For one thing, you have to define 'you'. 'You', as in _me_... Well, there's me. That's it."  
Kurt clenched his teeth together and took a step forward, his grip on the gun tightening.  
"Don't push me _demon_." He spat the word out as if it left a bad taste in his mouth, raising the water pistol once more "How many, generally, are there in your... Coven."

"My coven?" Blaine shrugged. "I thought we already covered that."  
He was caught between his want to protect his own kind and the need to protect himself.

Kurt rolled his eyes pushing the trigger on the water pistol again.  
"Listen, _I_ can do this all day, but sooner or later, the pain will be too much and you will tell me everything you know. It would be much easier for you to tell me now, then maybe you'll leave here alive." He paced the floor in front of the devil's trap, getting increasingly frustrated with the demon inside it.

Blaine cringed away from the spray, but the outer ring of the demon's trap halted his escape. He shook to free the drops from his skin.  
"I'm being serious." Blaine insisted. "I don't have a coven. A lot of demons don't. And even if they do, they tend to keep to themselves. Splitting up prey can be a messy business."  
Kurt made a frustrated sound in the back of his throat.  
"Stop lying to me! I know for a fact that there is far too much activity in this town for one demon, and you demons being in the same place always reverts back to a coven."

"I swear to you, I don't know anything about any covens. If there are other demons here, they have nothing to do with me." Blaine explained.  
A lie, just a little white one, but if he played his part well enough, he might just live to see another day.  
He was confident he could; after all, it had been him who'd charmed prey into the clutches of his old coven. It had proved quite effective.

Kurt shook his head, laughing bitterly and sitting down on one of the beds.  
"Fine. If you have no information of use to me, I guess I don't need you." He reached over to pick up a journal off the table, standing up and moving to the edge of the devil's trap.  
"_Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus omnis satanica potestas-_"

Blaine shuddered, hunching forward.  
"Wait, wait!" he cried out, flinging out a hand to get the boy's attention.  
Kurt looked up from the journal, raising his eyebrows expectantly. "What?" He snapped.

Blaine took a deep breath.

"You're right, there's a lot of demons here. A few covens, I've seen them passing through." he gasped. "All headed the same way. I don't know where they ended up, I swear to you!"  
Kurt eyed the boy up and down, lowering the journal slightly.  
"And why the hell should I trust you?" He crossed his arms over his chest. "More to the point, even if you are telling me the truth, why should I let demon scum such as yourself walk out of here alive?"  
Blaine glared up at him, trying to hold back a sneer.  
"You could search this entire state, every back alley, every two-bit town, and never find these demons. They're crafty, cunning, and insanely good at covering their tracks. You'd never find them in time to save that kid." he growled up at the boy. "You'll need someone who knows them, knows their secrets."  
He was grasping at straws. If this was to be his last moment, he was sure as hell going to give it everything he had.  
"Let's face it kid, I'm the only hope you have."

Kurt stepped into the devil's trap, holding the water gun at his hip as a defence.  
"Now you listen to me, I am not going to work with a demon. Especially not a pretentious, cocky asshole like you. My dad and I have been hunting demons for years, we know their tricks."  
Blaine levelled him with a hazel-eyed look.  
"If that were true, then how come you haven't found them yet?"

That threw Kurt for a moment. There was no way this demon could know about their decade-long search for the Yellow Eyed Demon, but that comment hit a little too close to home.  
He didn't want to doubt his dad's ability; he was an incredibly adept hunter. But the demon had a point, as much as he was loathe to admit it.  
Maybe they _could_ use an inside eye.

He came back to himself abruptly, realising his stance inside the trap. Kurt backed up quickly onto the safety of the paint-less carpet.  
He eyed the demon curiously. In all the time he'd been inside the trap, the demon hadn't once tried to attack him, or fight his way out, even with Kurt's attention elsewhere and his weapon half-forgotten.

Blaine waited patiently as the boy hunter thought it over, a calculating look in his eyes. The demon widened his eyes and raised his eyebrows, trying to look as innocent as possible. He turned his palms up, hands open to show he was unarmed and defenceless.  
Truth be told, he kind of wanted to help the hunters. He didn't agree with the other demon's way of living, that much was clear to him. And if he could save the lives of innocent humans by going against his own kind, maybe he could break free of the control they had over him.

Kurt chewed on his lower lip as he thought (a horrid habit really, but he couldn't break it). He knew his dad wouldn't be happy about the situation, but maybe if he explained...  
Kurt pulled his phone out of his pocket, scrolling to Burt's number and pressing call.  
_Ring...  
Ring..  
Ring._  
_"Hi this is Burt Hummel, if you have this number... You're Kurt. Leave a message bud."_

That was odd. Burt never missed his calls. Kurt frowned down at his phone, then looked back over to the demon. He took a deep breath.  
"Fine." He ground out.  
Kurt dropped the journal on the table and placed the water gun on top of it, turning back to point at Blaine, his eyes seeming to go almost as dark as the demon's.  
"But if you dare even think about double crossing me, you'll be begging me to send you back to the pit."  
Blaine raised his hands as a peace offering.  
"Cross my heart."

Kurt sighed, shifting his feet slightly on the floor.  
"Okay..."  
He crouched down on the floor and pushed the rug back. Kurt pulled his sleeve over his hand and rubbed at the paint until a small gap formed in the lines of the trap.  
Blaine stepped backwards out of the trap, keeping his hands up, palms open. He felt himself relax, letting out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.  
"Alright..." he began. "Am I free to go?"  
Kurt shrugged slightly, standing up again.  
"Whatever. It's probably not a good idea to go near any of the other demons in town, which I know for a fact are here, despite your insistence." He kicked the rug back over the now useless devil's trap. "If they even suspect you're working against them, you'll be dead and I'll be right back where I started."  
Blaine nodded along compliantly. The boy didn't need to know about his relations with the other demons. He had absolutely zero intention of seeking out contact with any demon, even without this hunter's need for him to avoid them.

Kurt sighed, working with demons... What had he lowered himself to? He walked across the room and opened the door of the motel room.  
"I'll see you tomorrow?"  
"Wow, that sounded almost normal." Blaine couldn't resist cracking a joke. "Need me to sneak home before Daddy shows up? Would he disapprove of our secret love?"  
Kurt rolled his eyes, "Oh honey, please. As if I would lower myself to your level." He snarked back, fluttering his eyelashes innocently.  
"I'll be honest kid," Blaine threw over his shoulder as he stepped over the threshold. "I think you already have."  
And he set off quickly before the boy could grab his gun again and do some real harm.  
Kurt stared after him for a few seconds before scoffing and slamming the door shut on the retreating demon, moving to re-paint the devil's trap and wait for Burt to return.

* * *

In the enveloping darkness of the Ohio night time, a darker shape loomed close to the motel window. Beetle black eyes watched the exchange closely, widening at the reveal of the hunter's holy-water gun. He backed up as his brother screamed in pain, scrambling out of the shrubs and across the hard concrete of the car park. He had to warn the others, the hunters were onto them. No demon could withstand holy water for long, and soon enough, that hunter would get everything out of that poor demon. And when he did, they'd be ready for them...


End file.
